Chung and Jones chasing leaders and dreams at Madinaty
September 30: India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill and Korea’s Minhyeok Yang both birdied the last two holes of Madinaty Golf Club to edge ahead of a fast-charging American Henry Chung (main picture) and England’s Ben Jones after the penultimate round of the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
Overnight joint leaders at nine-under par, Gill and Yang shot identical rounds of five-under par 65 to reach 14-under 196.
Chung, who played the opening round of the tournament blind after landing on Sunday night from Taiwan, found his bearings with the day’s lowest round of 63. He trailed the leaders by one and was ahead of Jones (65) by one.
American Carson Herron, son of four-time PGA Tour winner Tim, also moved into contention in solo fifth place at 11-under following a bogey-free round of 65.
England’s Thomas Plumb (66), China’s Andi Xu (67), Korea’s Jaeil Kim (68), Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (69) and Australian Darcy Brereton (69) were tied sixth at 10-under.
Pukhraj Singh Gill of India. Picture courtesy Egyptian Golf Federation.
Gill, who turned 29 four days ago, is intent on giving himself the best birthday gift possible. The round seemed to be going away from him when he made bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes, but the man from Ludhiana, Punjab, bounced right back with birdies in his last two holes.
Earlier, Gill did the bulk of his scoring from the fourth to ninth holes, making an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and birdies on the fourth, sixth and ninth.
“It was a quiet birthday, and I am hoping to get the job done tomorrow and then have a big celebration when I go back home to India,” said Gill, who chipped in from 12 yards for his eagle on the fifth hole.
“I got off to a pretty hot start today and was four-under through my first six hole, and I was playing good golf. The two bogeys on the 15th and 16th damaged my round a bit, but I am grateful that I could birdie the last two and limit that damage.”
Yang also made four birdies in five holes from the fifth to ninth, before a bogey on the 10th set him back. He then birdied the last two holes as well.
Chung is currently 29th in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit and 105th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit, which means he is fighting the battle to a full Asian Tour card on two fronts. He played the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last week and decided to make the trip to Egypt after missing the cut.
Ben Jones of England. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
While Chung is fighting for a card in 2027, Jones is hoping a good finish will help him decide more professional golf next year. The man from Sheffield is now working in a construction business, and will be returning to office on Friday morning after he flies back.
“I was planning to come here only in the scenario where I missed the cut in Taiwan. I missed by one, which was unfortunate, flew out Sunday morning, got to my Airbnb at 11pm and I had a 9:50 morning tee time on Monday,” said Chung.
“If everything went according to plan and I had a great season, I would not be playing on the ADT, but it didn’t. So, I’m kind of bouncing between both Tours. If I am able to get in the top-10 here, it would take a lot of pressure off going into the last couple of events on the Asian Tour, and hopefully, good golf here would lead to good golf there.”
Jones, who was bogey-free for his round, said: “Working on the side has definitely helped my enjoyment levels. When you play week in, week out and sometimes you don’t play as well as you can, then it does get a little bit depressing. So, I’ve definitely enjoyed playing these two weeks, and coming in with very little expectations. Happy to be back playing,” said Jones.
“If I do well here and in the Aramco Invitational, I’d probably give golf a go again. I wouldn’t go back to mixing concrete and bumping slabs around. So, if I had a good finish tomorrow, it would put me in a position where I definitely consider playing more golf again next year.”
The Egyptian Golf Series 14, as well as last week’s Egyptian Golf Series 13, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering on the two tournaments.
September 29: It got crowded at the top as four players shared the lead at the halfway stage of the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
On Tuesday at the Madinaty Golf Club, overnight leader India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill managed to turn things around with five birdies on his back nine in a round of three-under par 67, but that could only take him to nine-under 131. He was joined at that score by Australia’s Darcy Brereton (66, main picture), Korea’s Minhyeok Yang (64) and Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (66).
Malaysia’s Marcus Lim and Korea’s Jaeil Kim both shot identical rounds of 67 to remain one behind the leaders at 132, while Australia’s Deyen Lawson (67), China’s Andi Xu (64), Frenchman Edgar Catherine (65) and England’s Ben Jones (67) were very much in the mix at seven-under total.
The lowest round of the day was by Welshman David Boote (63), who improved to tied 11th place at -6 after a bogey-free round that included seven birdies.
Minhyeok Yang of Korea. Picture by Ryan Tambalque/ADT.
Yang, who recently moved to Thailand with his father to be able to travel more comfortably within Asia, was bogey-free for his round, and hoped the wind would be up for the next two days.
“I played nicely today. My putting was very good, even though I missed a few wedge shots. My swing felt really nice, especially on the back nine,” said Yang, who is fifth in the Order of Merit and wants to seal his Asian Tour card for the next season with a good performance this week.
“I need to keep playing like this because I think the winning score will be around 22-under. It will be lower than last week because all the players were here last week as well, and they know the course conditions, are used to the wind, and can read the green better.
“I want more wind because this course is very wide.”
Like Yang, 32-year-old Brereton is also searching for his first professional win. He is currently 17th in the Order of Merit, and a good week will take him closer to the all-important top-10, which secures a graduation to the Asian Tour.
David Boote of Wales. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
His only mistake on the day was a bogey on the 11th hole, but Brereton was pleased with how he played.
“It’s been a solid couple of days. Didn’t really find myself in too much trouble, so just looking forward to seeing what the next couple of days hold,” said the Melbourne resident.
“I think everything’s just complete. I’m hitting it pretty decent off the tee, hitting the right spots into the greens, holding a few putts between five and 15 feet and chipping it good. So, not much stress on my game. I think I found the rhythm of the course and would like to just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Gill, who shot a 64 on the opening day with three birdies and an eagle in his last six holes, needed to dig deep after a rough start, which saw him finish his front nine (back nine of the course) in two-over.
“I got off to quite a slow start today. I had a pretty easy opening couple of holes, but I was one-over through the first three. I then lost my ball on the 17th hole (his ninth) and made another bogey after making a birdie with my second ball,” said the 28-year-old.
“I think I came back quite well. I was able to stay patient and make five birdies in my closing nine holes. I felt the course conditions overall were slightly easier than yesterday, which is why I am not too surprised by the scores. Nevertheless, I’m quite grateful that I was able to recover from a rough front nine, and still stay in co-lead going into the last two days.”
The Egyptian Golf Series 14, as well as last week’s Egyptian Golf Series 13, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering the two tournaments.
September 28: India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill (main picture) stormed into the clubhouse with an eagle and two birdies over his last four holes to clinch the opening-round lead in the $125,000 Egyptian Golf Series 14.
On Monday at the Madinaty Golf Club, Gill was one-under after his first 12 holes despite some good golf. A birdie on the par-5 13th kickstarted a superb stretch of holes for the 30-year-old as he birdied the 16th, eagled the 17th and picked up his final shot on the 18th to break the logjam at 5-under and set the marker with a 64.
Malaysia’s Marcus Lim, Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, Korea’s Jaeil Kim and Australian Darcy Brereton were tied for second place at 65 on a day when swirling wind at the Robert Trent Jones-designed course challenged the Asian Development Tour players.
England’s Ben Jones, Aussie Deyen Lawson and American Tim Nielsen were tied for sixth place at 66 on the par-70 layout, which is hosting back-to-back events on the ADT schedule.
Tanapat Pichaikool of Thailand. Picture by Storyline/IGPL..
Gill, who hails from the industrial city of Ludhiana in the northern state of Punjab, has already secured his breakthrough international win at the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. He secured a top-10 finish in the Egyptian Golf Series 13 last week and entered the penultimate event on the ADT schedule in 10th place in the Order of Merit.
The top-10 players at the end of Aramco Invitational in the last week of November will graduate to the Asian Tour next season.
The Asian Tour card was a thought in Gill’s mind for a long time after his win, but he says he has now forced himself to forget about that and just focus on the golf in hand.
“I’ve been trying to predict the Order of Merit quite a bit. I thought $33,000 would have been safe. I thought four events ago that, you know,
Marcus Lim of Malaysia. Picture by Toha Bin Dol/ADT
anyone who gets close to about 35 is good. But we’ve had so many new guys playing really good. Like Kevin (Akbar) winning the Ciputra event, and then Sean (Ramos) was due an event, so he made a big jump last week. So, it’s really difficult to predict. I’ve now just been trying to focus on the shots at hand,” said Gill, who is a member of the Indian Golf Premier League back home.
Speaking on his opening round, Gill added: “Pretty solid overall today. I think it helps that we’re playing here for the second week. I was quite good off the tee today. Pretty much hit all the fairways. Stayed patient up until the end of the game, so the finish was pretty good.
“On 17th, I had a great shot off the tee with favourable wind. The crucial one was the second shot. I hit a four-iron from about 250 yards, chased it up to a back flag to about 12 feet, and made it. On 18th, I was able to sink a 15-20 footer. So that was a good finish to the round.”
Tanapat is playing his 10th straight week, but seems to be managing his weary body well after a round of six birdies. Winner of the am green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars tournament in Morocco earlier this year, he is 12th in the Order of Merit and also chasing his Asian Tour card.
The Thai star arrived on Sunday from India, where he has been playing on the domestic DP World-PGTI for the past four weeks, and admitted rest was top of mind.
“Lots of positive today. This is my 10th week in a row, so lots of rest and lots of planning to do this week. I am trying to rest as much as possible. Got a little bit of swing change this morning. We have got a fantastic range here in Madinaty, so I can work on my game a little bit before the round,” said Tanapat.
“Today was just a combination of everything coming together. I hit my shot decently well. My putting was on most of the time when I got the chance.”
Lim was bogey-free for 65. The Malaysian, who is still searching for his first win, said: “Tee to green was solid all day. I missed only one green. Missed one green on a par five because I hit the lip of the waste bunker. Left a couple of putts out there, but can’t complain.”
The Egyptian Golf Series 14, as well as last week’s Egyptian Golf Series 13, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering in the two tournaments.
September 26: Already having a great year, Filipino Sean Ramos (main picture) turned 2026 into a year to remember by winning his first title as a professional at the $125,000 Egypt Golf Series 13 on Saturday.
At the Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club in New Cairo, the promising 22-year-old could afford a bogey on his finishing hole and still managed to stay one ahead of a charging August Thor Host.
The Dane matched the lowest round of the day with a seven-under par 63, but his effort, which included back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to set the clubhouse marker at 17-under 263, could only give some anxious moments for Ramos, who shot a 65.
American Brent Ito (64) was solo third at 16-under, while Welshman David Boote and Thai Natipong Srithong matched the lowest round of the day to join Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (64), England’s Thomas Plumb (64) and Korean Minhyeok Yang (66) in tied fourth place at 265.
The $21,875 winning cheque was a nice bonus, given that Ramos has been focused on regaining his Asian Tour card, which he lost by a few points at the end of the 2025 season. He has already finished second twice this year – in the Ever Glory ADT Open in Taiwan and the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in Malaysia.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture by the Egyptian Golf Federation
Ramos is now $12,022 behind Order of Merit leader Khavish Varadan and has the chance to overtake the Malaysian with a top-two finish in Egypt Golf Series 14, which will be played at the same golf course from Monday. Varadan is not playing next week.
Starting the day at 13-under, Ramos dropped a shot early on the second hole, but bounced back well with birdies on the third and fourth. His most productive stretch came from the ninth to 13th holes. He made an eagle on the par-5 ninth, courtesy of a magic fairway bunker shot from 39 yards, and three birdies to take a stranglehold on the title.
“I’m still shaking, actually. I can’t really feel anything right now. I’ve been shaking since the last five holes, I think. But yeah, obviously very happy and thankful that I was able to get my first win internationally,” said Ramos.
“I am very happy because I had lost my Asian Tour card last year by a hair. So yeah, just thankful to be able to compete out there again and show some good golf out there as well.”
On the long par-4 18th hole, Ramos decided to lay up after checking that he held a two-shot advantage over Thor Host. But he pulled a 50-degree wedge shot almost 20 yards left of the green, before making his up-and-down from there.
“Thankfully, a bogey was all I needed, and I was able to do that. The winning putt felt so good. It still doesn’t feel real. I’m just letting it sink in,” he added.
“Hopefully, I just play the golf course the same way I did this week, and hopefully, that would be enough again next week.”
The Egypt Golf Series 13, and next week’s Egypt Golf Series 14, are co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation. The two events are being held in back-to-back weeks at Madinaty Golf Club. The Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi are partnering the two tournaments.
September 25: Overnight joint leaders – England’s Sam Rook and Sean Ramos of the Philippines – could not be separated after their third-round battle in the Egypt Golf Series 13.
On Friday at the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club, both players added rounds of four-under par 66 to reach 13-under 197 total with 18 holes left to play.
Rook reached the total with birdies on his last two holes, while Ramos picked up shots on the tough par-4 16th and 18th.
The closing birdies gave the duo a two-shot breathing space at the top of the leaderboard over Korea’s Minhyeok Yang, who shot the day’s best round of 64, and American Nathan Han (67).
Italian Michele Ortolani (65), who is second in the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit behind Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan, made a determined move with a bogey-free round of 65, which elevated him to within three shots of the leaders at 10-under. American Brent Ito (67) and Denmark’s August Thor Host (67) were giving Ortolani company at that score in tied fifth place.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines. Picture courtesy Egyptian Golf Federation
Both Rook, who is currently 80th in the Order of Merit, and Ramos, who is 12th with two runner-up finishes this year, are searching for their first professional victories.
Rook started with a bogey on the first, but like Friday when he opened with a double bogey, he knuckled down after that. A bogey on the 14th hole was his only other dropped shot of the day.
“I am feeling good, to be fair. I was a little bit nervous this morning, but I’ve not been in that position before, so I guess it’s expected,” said the 25-year-old from Sheffield.
“I am driving it pretty nice and I’m hitting my irons well. Chipping it good and putting well. So, pretty good overall.
“If I win my first ADT title tomorrow, it would mean the world. I’m trying not to think about that. Kind of just keep playing, and if that’s the end result, then great. And sure, we will have a great night out in Cairo on Saturday night.”
In-form Ortolani needs $15,165 to take over as the Order of Merit, which means he will have to win on Saturday to have that chance.
Michele Ortolani of Italy. Picture by Joki Escandor/Asian Development Tour
“My round was pretty steady. I’d say very consistent. Yesterday afternoon, I had a huge grind with Eduardo (his caddie) to try and fix up the swing, because I was struggling. And today, I’m glad that the work paid off,” said the winner of the DigiPlus Philippines ADT Open.
“I think I made all key putts probably to save par today, especially on hole 12 where I could have easily made a three-putt, and again on the 13th. Other than that, I was hitting every green and two-putting.
“I think some players underestimated this course because it looks wide, but you need to strike the ball pretty well, especially on the par threes, and there are so many of them.
“Regardless of chasing down Khavish, I will just try and play my best iron game as I can and try to hole putts tomorrow and see if I can win. Otherwise, stacking points is very important to try and stay as up as possible.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club. The tournament is also partnered by the Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi.
September 24: Sean Ramos of the Philippines (main image) and England’s Sam Rook moved to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of Egypt Golf Series 13.
In Thursday’s second round at the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed Madinaty Golf Club, Ramos added a six-under par 64 to his opening 67, while Rook overcame a double-bogey start for 65, as the duo totalled nine-under par 131.
That gave them a one-shot advantage going into the final 36 holes over American Nathan Han, who shot the day’s best round of 63, and Korea’s Jaeil Kim (68).
Four players were tied for fifth place at 133 – Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto (64) and Weerawish Narkprachar (64), alongside Denmark’s August Thor Host (68) and Brent Ito (66) of the US.
Overnight leader Ben Jones of England slumped to a 72 with just one birdie, but was in a group of seven players at 134.
Sam Rook of England. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour.
Ramos, who is 12th on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit and seeking to make a decisive push for his Asian Tour card, started from the tenth tee and was one-under through 13 holes. On the third hole, his 12th, it was a shank that woke him up as he made the bulk of his scoring with four birdies over his last five holes.
“I started off pretty cold today, I’d say. I was hitting it good, but I couldn’t make any putts. So, I was just trying to be patient. Surprisingly, I started to play better after I shanked my second shot on the third into the fairway bunker. Fortunately, I saved far, and then made a bunch of birdies,” said Ramos, who has had three top-fives this season on the ADT, including runner-up finishes in the Ever Glory ADT Open and the ADT Players Championship presented by the R&A.
Rook has had a very average season on the ADT so far and Thursday’s round laid the platform for an exciting end-of-the-year charge for the 25-year-old from Sheffield. Apart from the double-bogey start, he did not put a foot wrong.
“It was a weird one, started with a double. I hit in the water left off the tee when I thought I could carry the water. So, just had to take my medicine. I did not miss a green from then on in,” said Rook, whose best finish on the ADT is a tied fifth at the Egyptian Open on the same Madinaty course last year.
“I’ve hit it really nice off the tee, and my iron play has been good. I made four twos today, which is on them par 3s, and they are all pretty tough. I actually changed putters last night, and that kind of worked today. So can’t complain.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club. The tournament is also partnered by the Arab Golf Federation and Golf Saudi.
September 23: England’s Ben Jones, whose only professional win came at a 2023 Mena Golf Tour event at Madinaty Golf Club, showed his love for the spectacular Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course in New Cairo once again as he opened a two-shot lead in the Egypt Golf Series 13.
In Wednesday’s opening round, the man from Northampton shot eight birdies and did not give back a single shot to the golf course in a round of eight-under par 62.
Pakistan’s Aadam Syed and Korean Jaeil Kim were chasing Jones at 64, while Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab, Laos’ Thammasack Bouahom, Denmark’s August Thor Host and the Indonesian duo of Jonathan Wijono and Kevin Akbar made for an eclectic group a further shot behind at 65.
The 26-year-old Jones started from the 10th tee and reached 6-under through 10 holes, thanks to a particularly productive stretch of holes from the 15th to first, where he made four birdies, including three straight gains from the 17th to the first hole. On his back nine, he picked up further shots on the fifth and seventh.
“I really enjoyed being out on the course again, and everything just went smoothly today,” said Jones.
“I’ve played the golf course quite a few times now. I’ve had some success around here before, and then we played here early in the year when I finished fourth. So, I don’t know really, but I just seem to always play okay around here.”
Aadam Syed of Pakistan. Picture by Jason Butler/Asian Tour
“I started on the 10th and I birdied the first hole, which was a nice little settler. And then just kept hitting good shots. Didn’t hole everything that I looked at, but it was rolling well today. Five-under for my first nine, and the front nine seemed quite easy from there on. I actually missed a couple coming in, so I felt my ball striking was really very good today.”
Syed, who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of countryman Ahmed Baig and graduate to the main tour, made a solitary bogey on the long par-4 16th hole. However, the UK-based player made amends with birdies on the 17th and 18th for his 64.
“It was really good today. I drove the ball well and putted well, which always helps. I could have been a little bit better with my irons, but overall, very happy,” said the 25-year-old resident of Hayes, who is currently 86th in the Order of Merit.
“The birdie on the 17th felt very good after the bogey on the 16th. I barely carried the water with my three-wood second shot and then made a good up-and-down.
“Ahmed’s absolutely an influence. He played the ADT a couple of years ago and had a great year and got himself promoted. That kind of brought the pathway to light and showed that it was possible. It was very inspiring to see him and how he’s moving on and progressing with his game. The ADT helped him develop into the player he is. So, I thought, why not give it a go for myself?”
Faisal Salhab of Saudi Arabia.
Kim, who finished sixth in Indonesia last month and tied 11th in ADT HCT Open, said he felt lucky with his bogey-free round.
“I hit my irons and putted well, but I feel a little bit lucky. I made two long putts for par on the fourth and 16th holes. They must be about 10 feet,” said Kim, who is hoping to improve this week from his 25th place in the ADT Order of Merit.
“The best birdie of the day was the one I made on the 10th hole. I hit my wedge from 77 yards for a tap-in birdie.”
Salhab was delighted his form was trending in the right direction, especially before the season-ending Aramco Invitational in his home country.
“I’ve always believed that I have a good game. It’s just starting to come out. I am learning how to play golf and not just think about the swing. Grant, my coach, has been fantastic and we are doing a lot of good work with other members of my team. And it’s good for all of us to see some good results.
“I’m really looking forward to Aramco Invitational. I look forward to it every year. The thought process is just do whatever I can, do what I can control, play as well as I can. Aramco is a big event, and there’s a lot of points and money. I really want to earn a card and play on the ADT, and that’s the goal.”
Egypt Golf Series 13, co-sanctioned by the Egyptian Golf Federation, is the first of back-to-back Asian Development Tour events at Madinaty Golf Club.
The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will welcome on board two tournaments in Egypt in the ensuing few weeks – in a major win for the Asian Tour’s feeder circuit.
The Egypt Golf Series events will be played back-to-back from 23-26 September, and 28 September–1 October, at Madinaty Golf Club, Cairo.
Jointly sanctioned with the Egypt Golf Federation, they will help the season come to a thrilling conclusion as the second and third from last events of the season.
Both events will boast lucrative purses of US$125,000.
Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “We have been working hard behind the scenes with our friends at the Egypt Golf Federation to secure the Egypt Golf Series events on the Asian Development Tour and we are delighted to finally confirm them.
“We visited Egypt twice last year and after a successful trip we vowed to return. It’s a new golfing nation that has so much potential and of course two weeks at the award winning Madinaty Golf Club is real treat for our members.”
The tournaments will be followed by the season-ending Aramco Invitational at Rolling Hills Golf Club, to be played from 25-28 November.
Last year saw the Egyptian Open and the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open staged on the ADT. It marked the first time the tour had visited the country. Niklas Regner [main picture] from Austria won the former, also played at Madinaty, while Indian Karandeep Kochhar claimed the latter, which was staged at Sokhna Golf Club.
Omar Hisham Talaat, Chairman of the Egyptian Golf Federation, said: “We are extremely proud to welcome the Asian Development Tour back to Egypt and to host two consecutive international tournaments at Madinaty Golf Club. Last year demonstrated what Egypt is capable of delivering. We welcomed players from around the world, staged successful international tournaments and showcased not only the quality of our golf courses, but also Egypt as a destination.”
Madinaty, which boasts an 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, hosted the International Series Egypt in 2022 on the Asian Tour – when American Andy Ogletree triumphed. The course was so popular with the players that they voted it The Players’ Choice Golf Course of the Year on the Asian Tour.
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